Anger as French embassy uses 100th anniversary of Passchendaele to promote the EU – saying it ‘brought peace’ to Europe

French diplomats have been accused of rewriting history in a furious backlash to a tweet ahead of the commemorations

By Alain Tolhurst

1st August 2017, 4:02 pm

Updated: 1st August 2017, 4:02 pm

THE FRENCH Embassy has sparked anger after using the 100th anniversary of Passchendaele to try and promote the EU – saying it “brought peace” to Europe.

French diplomats have been accused of rewriting history with a tweet described as “deeply offensive” ahead of the First World War commemorations.

Reuters

The tweet sparked a furious backlash

Reuters

It came as the Royals helped commemorate the centenary of the bloody battle

It comes as Theresa May and the Royal Family attended a service to mark one of the bloodiest periods of the conflict – in which 325,000 allied troops died.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were with Prince Charles and 4,000 descendants of those who fought in the battle at a cemetery in Ypres where thousands of those who died are buried.

They were joined by foreign dignitaries including German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel, who risked controversy by hailing the European “project of peace”.

He said there had never before been a period in Europe of more than 70 years without war, adding: “Today it is more true than ever in a world full of crises and conflicts that Europe is far more than a single market.”

But the French embassy in the UK went further, tweeting: “Today we commemorate #Passchendaele100.

“An opportunity to cherish peace, unity and solidarity brought by the EU.”

But former soldier and Tory MP Colonel Bob Stewart called the idea “rubbish”, telling MailOnline: “The peace and security of Europe has primarily been maintained by the NATO alliance.”

And Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister, told The Telegraph: "To use Passchendaele and the sombre commemoration of this wanton loss of life as some sort of excuse to justify the European Union is pretty contemptible."

He added: "The idea that it is the EU who has kept the peace in Europe these past 75 years is nonsense – it was Nato."